Method of manufacturing a bi-axial braided article of footwear

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing is provided, with an initial step of providing an automated braiding machine having a braid ring assembly and a plurality of spools associated with the braid ring assembly, each of the plurality of spools containing a strand of braiding material. When initially braiding the article of footwear, the spools on the braid ring assembly are in a first set of positions. Continuing, the article of footwear is braided beginning with a first end of the article of footwear with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the first set of positions. Upon reaching a transition point of the article of footwear, the spools on the braid ring assembly are positioned in a second set of positions. Finally, the article of footwear is braided from the transition point to the second end, with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the second set of positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application62/513,202 filed on May 31, 2017 and entitled Method of Manufacturing aBi-Axial Braided Article of Footwear. The entirety of the aforementionedapplication is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a braided article of footwear, and inparticular, an upper for an article of footwear.

BACKGROUND

Articles of footwear typically have an upper that provides an enclosurefor receiving the foot of a wearer. It is desirable to have an upperconstruction that supports and protects a wearer's foot, yet alsoprovides comfort for the wearer. Accordingly, shoe uppers may be createdusing a wide variety of materials and manufacturing techniques, in orderto impart flexibility and aesthetic characteristics desired by thewearer of the upper.

One such technique available for manufacturing a shoe upper is braiding.However, due to previous limitations with braiding as a shoe uppermanufacturing technique, the individual yarns of a braided shoe upperwere typically aligned in a single axis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic view of an exemplary braiding machine;

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic top view of an exemplary braiding machine,illustrating the carriages and rotor metals;

FIG. 3 depicts a view similar to FIG. 2, but with the rotor metalsmoving the carriages;

FIG. 4 depicts a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the completion ofthe exemplary movement of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 depicts an article of footwear, in accordance with aspectsherein;

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary braiding machinehaving a lead bobbin or spool in a first position, in accordance withaspects herein;

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary braiding machinehaving a lead spool in a second position, in accordance with aspectsherein;

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method of manufacturingthe article of footwear of FIG. 5, in accordance with aspects herein;and

FIG. 9 depicts an additional flow diagram of an exemplary method ofmanufacturing the article of footwear of FIG. 5, in accordance withaspects herein; and

FIG. 10 depicts an additional flow diagram of an exemplary method ofmanufacturing the article of footwear of FIG. 5, in accordance withaspects herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects herein are generally directed to a method of manufacturing anarticle of footwear having a first end and an opposing second end, themethod comprising providing an automated braiding machine having a braidring assembly and a plurality of spools associated with the braid ringassembly, each of the plurality of spools containing a strand ofbraiding material. The method further comprises positioning the spoolson the braid ring assembly in a first set of positions, braiding thearticle of footwear, beginning with a first end of the article offootwear, with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the first set ofpositions, upon reaching a transition point of the article of footwear,positioning the spools on the braid ring assembly in a second set ofpositions, and braiding the article of footwear from the transitionpoint to the second end the article of footwear, with the spools on thebraid ring assembly in the second set of positions.

Additionally, aspects herein are generally directed to a method ofmanufacturing an article of footwear utilizing an automated braidingmachine having a braid ring assembly, the method comprising positioningthe spools on the braid ring assembly in a first configuration, braidingthe article of footwear with the spools on the braid ring assembly inthe first configuration, the method continues by positioning the spoolson the braid ring assembly in a second configuration, braiding thearticle of footwear with the spools on the braid ring assembly in thesecond configuration.

Still further, aspects herein are generally directed to an article offootwear having a toe end and an heel opening, the article of footwearcomprising a first section braided with a plurality of yarns in a firstplane, a second section braided with the plurality of yarns in a secondplane, and a transition section positioned between the first section andthe second section, wherein the transition section further comprises abeginning transition point proximate the first section and an endingtransition point proximate the second section, wherein the plurality ofyarns of the transition section linearly transitions from the firstplane to the second plane.

Braiding is a process of interlacing or interweaving three or more yarnsdiagonally to a product axis in order to obtain a thicker, wider orstronger product or in order to cover (overbraid) some profile.Interlacing diagonally means that the yarns make an angle with theproduct axis, which can be between 1 and 89 degrees but is usually inthe range of 30-80 degrees. This angle is called the braiding angle.Braids can be linear products (ropes), hollow tubular shells or solidstructures (one, two or three-dimensional textiles) with constant orvariable cross-section, and of closed or open appearance.

As used herein, the yarns used for braiding may be formed of differentmaterials having different properties. The properties that a particularyarn will impart to an area of a braided component partially depend uponthe materials that form the yarn. Cotton, for example, provides a softerproduct, natural aesthetics, and biodegradability. Elastane and stretchpolyester each provide substantial stretch and recovery, with stretchpolyester also providing recyclability. Rayon provides high luster andmoisture absorption. Wool also provides high moisture absorption, inaddition to insulating properties and biodegradability. Nylon is adurable and abrasion-resistant material with relatively high strength.Polyester is a hydrophobic material that also provides relatively highdurability. In addition to materials, other aspects of the yarn selectedfor formation of a braided component may affect the properties of thebraided component. For example, a yarn may be a monofilament or amultifilament. The yarn may also include separate filaments that areeach formed of different materials. In addition, the yarn may includefilaments that are each formed of two or more different materials, suchas a bicomponent yarn with filaments having a sheath-core configurationor two halves formed of different materials.

As discussed herein, braided structures can be formed as tubular braidson a braiding machine, such as a radial, axial or lace braiding machine.One example of a lace braiding machine can be found in Ichikawa, EP 1486 601, granted May 9, 2007 entitled “Torchon Lace Machine” and EP No.2 657 384, published Oct. 30, 2013 entitled “Torchon Lace Machine,” theentirety of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The upperportion of an exemplary braiding machine 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Braidingmachine 10 includes a plurality of spools 12. In some embodiments, thespools 12 carry the yarn 14 selected for braiding. The yarns 14 fromindividual spools are selectively interlaced or intertwined with oneanother by the braiding machine 10. This interlacing or intertwining ofstrands forms a braided structure 16, as further described below. Eachof the spools 12 is supported and constrained by a track 18 about thecircumference of the braiding machine 10. Each spool 12 has a tensioner20 (shown schematically in FIG. 1) that operates, along with a roller22, to maintain a desired tension in the yarns 14 and the braidedstructure 16. As the yarns 14 extend upwardly, they pass through a braidring 24 that is generally considered the braiding point. The braidingpoint is defined as the point or area where yarns 14 consolidate to formbraid structure 16. At or near ring 24, the distance between yarns 14from different spools 12 diminishes. As the distance between yarns 14 isreduced, the yarns 14 intermesh or braid with one another in a tighterfashion and are pulled linearly by roller 22.

As best seen in FIG. 2, each spool 12 is carried and supported by acarriage 26. Each spool 12 is movable about the circumference of thetrack 18 by rotor metals 28. As described on the Torchon Lace Machinereferenced previously, and disclosed in EP 1 486 601, each of the rotormetals 28 can be moved clockwise or counterclockwise. In contrast toradial braiding machines or fully non-jacquard machines, in a lacebraiding machine, each rotor metal is not intermeshed with the adjacentrotor metal. Instead, each rotor metal 28 may be selectivelyindependently movable. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 2 to FIG. 3, asthe rotor metals 28 rotate, they move the carriages 26, and thus thespools 12 supported on the carriages 26 by moving them about thecircumference of the track 18. The braiding machine 10 is programmablesuch that the individual rotor metals 28 rotate the carriages 26, andthus the spools 12 to move them about the circumference of the track 18.As an individual spool 12 moves relative to an adjacent spool 12, theyarns 14 carried on the spools 12 interweave to create a desired braidpattern. The movement of spools 12 may be pre-programmed to formparticular shapes, designs, and thread densities of a braided componentor portions of a braided component. By varying the rotation and locationof individual spools 12 various braid configurations may be formed. Suchan exemplary braiding machine may form intricate braid configurationsincluding both jacquard and non-jacquard braid configurations orgeometries. Such configurations and geometries offer designpossibilities beyond those offered by other textiles, such as knitting.

In some aspects, the size of braiding machine 10 may be varied. Itshould be understood that the braiding machine 10 shown and described isfor illustrative purposes only. In some aspects, braiding machine 10 maybe able to accept 144 carriages, although other sizes of braidingmachines, carrying different numbers of carriages and spools is possibleand is within the scope of this disclosure. By varying the number ofcarriages and spools within a braiding machine, the density of thebraided structure as well as the size of the braided component may bealtered.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an exemplary article of footwear 100 is depictedas having a first end 102 and a second end 104. In accordance withaspects herein, the first end 102 may correspond to a portion of thearticle of footwear 100 adapted to cover the toes of a wearer, while thesecond end 104 may correspond to a portion of the article of footwear100 adapted to cover a heel or ankle end of a wearer. In accordance withthe aspects discussed throughout this disclosure, the article offootwear 100 is generally braided from a first end 102 to a second end104. In other words, the article of footwear 100 is generally braidedfrom a toe end to an ankle end. However, it is envisioned that the firstend 102 of the article of footwear 100 and the second end 104 of thearticle of footwear 100 may be reversed, such that the article offootwear is braided from an ankle end to a toe end of the article offootwear.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the first end 102 of the article offootwear 100 generally corresponds to a first plane of braiding 106,while the second end 104 of the article of footwear generallycorresponds to a second plane of braiding 108. As depicted in FIG. 5,the first plane of braiding 106 is generally placed in an X-Yorientation, while the second plane of braiding 108 generally placed ina Y-Z orientation.

However, other orientations of the first plane of braiding 106 andsecond plane of braiding 108 are considered to be within the scope ofthis disclosure. For example, the first plane of braiding 106 may beplaced in an X-Z orientation, while the second plane of braiding 108 maybe placed in a Y-Z orientation or an X-Y orientation. Regardless of theexact planes of braiding selected, the important aspect of the planes ofbraiding is that the first plane of braiding 106 and the second plane ofbraiding 108 are perpendicular to each other, such that a “Mobius-twist”is performed to rotate from the first plane of braiding 106 to thesecond plane of braiding 108. However, aspects in which the first planeof braiding 106 and the second plane of braiding 108 are notperpendicular are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure.For example, the first plane of braiding 106 and the second plane ofbraiding 108 may be offset 45 degrees from one another, or may be offsetany other amount between 0 and 90 degrees from each other. Generally,the article of footwear will have the greatest resistance to stretch ina direction that aligns to the plane of braiding used to manufacturethat portion of the article of footwear. In other words, the amount of“Mobius-twist” performed changes the functional characteristics of thearticle of footwear created by the methods described herein.

In accordance with aspects herein, the “Mobius-twist” is generallyperformed at a transition point 110 of the article of footwear, whichgenerally refers to a point of the article of footwear in which thefirst plane of braiding 106 and second plane of braiding 108 intersect.In some aspects, the first plane of braiding 106 may transition to thesecond plane of braiding 108 instantaneously at the transition point110. The transition point 110 may be located between 2 and 6 inches fromthe first end 102 of the article of footwear. However, in some aspects,the first plane of braiding 106 may gradually morph into the secondplane of braiding 108. In this aspect, the transition point 110 may bemore accurately referred to as a transition section 112, wherein thetransition section 112 has a beginning transition point 114 a and anending transition point 114 b. Similar to the transition point 110, thebeginning transition point 114 a may be located between 2 and 6 inchesfrom the first end 102 of the article of footwear.

Thus far in this disclosure, the discussion with respect to FIG. 5 hasfocused on manufacturing the exemplary article of footwear 100 comprisesa first section 101 braided with a plurality of yarns in a firstdirection, which corresponds to the first plane of braiding 106. Next,the exemplary article of footwear comprises a second section 103 braidedwith a plurality of yarns in a second plane, which corresponds to thesecond plane of braiding 108. Further, the exemplary article of footwear100 further comprises the transition section 110 positioned between thefirst section 101 and the second section 103, wherein the transitionsection 110 further comprises the beginning transition point 114 aproximate the first section 101 and the ending transition point 114 bproximate the second section 103, wherein the plurality of yarns of thetransition section 110 linearly transitions from the first direction, orthe first plane of braiding 106, to the second plane, or second plane ofbraiding 108. In accordance with aspects herein, transitioning linearlyrefers to the angle of the yarns rotating smoothly between perpendiculardirections, the first plane and the second plane, over the length of thetransition section 110. Alternatively, the plurality of yarns of thetransition section 110 may transition in a non-linear manner, in whichthe angle of the yarns rotate quickly in one part of the transitionsection 112, and rotate less quickly another part of the transitionsection 112.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an automated braiding machine 200, similar tothose shown in FIGS. 1-4 is depicted. In FIG. 6, the article of footwear100 is shown as being braided beginning at first end 102. The automatedbraiding machine has a braid ring assembly 202 and a plurality of spools204 associated with the braid ring assembly 202. The plurality of spools204 may be integrally formed into the braid ring assembly 202, orprovided separately and then coupled to the braid ring assembly 202. Inaccordance with aspects herein, at least some of the plurality of spools204 may contain strands of braiding material, such as yarn, although itis generally desirable for the entirety of the plurality of spools 204to contain strands of braiding material. One of the plurality of spools204 has been shaded, and is referred to as the “lead spool” throughoutthis disclosure, for the purposes of tracking the positioning of theplurality of spools 204 on the braid ring assembly 200. As usedthroughout this disclosure, the braid ring assembly 200 may have a firstset of positions 210 (FIG. 6) and a second set of positions 212 (FIG.7), where the second set of positions 212 is obtained by rotating thespools on the braid ring assembly 202 from the first set of positions210. The amount of rotation of spools on the braid ring assembly iscompletely variable based on the desired properties of the article offootwear. For example, the second set of positions 212 may be rotated 45degrees from the first set of positions 210, or the second set ofpositions 212 may be rotated 90 degrees from the first set of positions210. Alternatively, other intermediate amounts of rotation areconsidered to be within the scope of this disclosure.

For example, the lead spool can be tracked from the first set ofpositions 210 as shown in FIG. 6, to a second set of positions 212 asshown FIG. 7, which depicts that the braid ring assembly has rotatedapproximately 90 degrees. As discussed previously, the article offootwear 100 is braided, beginning with a first end 102, with theplurality of spools 204 on the braid ring assembly 200 in the first setof positions 210. In accordance with the “Mobius-twist” describedherein, braiding the article of footwear 100 with the braid ringassembly in the first set of positions 210 results in a first end 102 ofthe article of footwear 100 being braided in a first braiding plane 106,and wherein braiding the article of footwear 100 with the braid ringassembly 202 in the second configuration results in the second end ofthe article of footwear being braided in a second braiding plane.

Turning now to FIG. 7, the automated braiding machine 200 is depicted asmanufacturing an article of footwear 100, after the “Mobius-twist” hasbeen performed. In other words, the article of footwear depicted in FIG.7 has been fully braided in the first plane of braiding 106, has passedthe transition point 110, and is now braiding in the second plane ofbraiding 108, meaning that the positioning of the spools on the braidring assembly in the second set of positions 212. Accordingly, FIG. 7depicts the automated braiding process after reaching and completelypassing through the transition point 110 of the article of footwear 100,or in other words, after the “Mobius-twist” has been performed.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary method of manufacturing 800 an article offootwear having a first end and an opposing second end. The method 800comprises the step 802 of providing an automated braiding machine havinga braid ring assembly and a plurality of spools associated with thebraid ring assembly. At this step, some or all of the plurality ofspools may contain a strand of braiding material. Next, at step 804,positioning the spools on the braid ring assembly in a first set ofpositions. As discussed previously, the first set of positions generallyrefers to the position of the spools on the braid ring assembly when thearticle of footwear is being braided in the first plane of braiding 106,as depicted in FIG. 5. Next, step 806 comprises braiding the article offootwear, beginning with a first end of the article of footwear, withthe spools on the braid ring assembly in the first set of positions.Further, step 808 comprises reaching a transition point (or transitionsection) of the article of footwear, and then positioning the spools onthe braid ring assembly in a second set of positions. As discussedpreviously, the second set of positions generally refers to the positionof the spools on the braid ring assembly when the article of footwear isbeing braided in the second plane of braiding 108. As further discussedpreviously, the second set of positions is generally obtained byrotating the braid ring assembly an amount between 0 and 90 degrees, asdepicted in FIGS. 6-7. Finally, step 810 comprises braiding the articleof footwear from the transition point to the second end of the articleof footwear, with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the secondset of positions.

Turning now to FIG. 9, flow diagram 900 depicts an exemplary method ofmanufacturing an article of footwear utilizing an automated braidingmachine having a braid ring assembly. The method comprises step 902,which includes positioning the braid ring assembly in a firstconfiguration. In accordance with aspects herein, the term “firstconfiguration” and the term “first set of positions” may be usedinterchangeably. Next, step 904 includes braiding the article offootwear with the braid ring assembly in the first configuration, asdepicted by FIG. 6. Moving forward, step 906 involves positioning thebraid ring assembly in a second configuration. As also discussedpreviously, the term “second configuration” and “second set ofpositions” are used interchangeably throughout this disclosure. Finally,step 908 includes braiding the article of footwear with the braid ringassembly in the second configuration, as shown in FIG. 7.

Turning now to FIG. 10, flow diagram 1000 depicts an exemplary method ofmanufacturing an article of footwear using an automated braidingmachine. As discussed throughout the disclosure, the article of footwearmanufactured by performing the steps of flow diagram 1000 generallycomprises a toe end and an ankle end. Next, step 1002 positioning abraid ring assembly of the automated braid machine in a first set ofpositions, the braid ring assembly having a plurality of spools. Movingforward, step 1004 depicts braiding, beginning with the toe end of thearticle of footwear, the article of footwear with the braid ringassembly in the first set of positions. Next, step 1006 depicts thatupon reaching a transition point of the article of footwear, positioninga braid ring assembly of an automated braid machine in a second set ofpositions. Finally, step 1008 depicts braiding the article of footwearfrom the transition point to the ankle end.

Examples of the present invention have been described with the intent tobe illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative examples willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from itsscope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementingthe aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear having a first end and an opposing second end, the method comprising: providing an automated braiding machine having a braid ring assembly and a plurality of spools associated with the braid ring assembly, each of the plurality of spools containing a strand of braiding material; positioning the spools on the braid ring assembly in a first set of positions; braiding the article of footwear, beginning with a first end of the article of footwear, with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the first set of positions; upon reaching a transition point of the article of footwear, positioning the spools on the braid ring assembly in a second set of positions; and braiding the article of footwear from the transition point to the second end the article of footwear, with the spools on the braid ring assembly in the second set of positions.
 2. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the second set of positions is obtained by rotating the first set of positions.
 3. The method of manufacturing of claim 2, wherein the rotating of the first set of positions is between 0 and 45 degrees.
 4. The method of manufacturing of claim 2, wherein the rotating of the first set of positions is between 45 and 90 degrees.
 5. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the first end of the article of footwear is a toe end.
 6. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the first end of the article of footwear is an ankle end.
 7. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the first end of the article of footwear is braided in a first braiding plane, and wherein the second end of the article of footwear is braided in a second braiding plane.
 8. The method of manufacturing of claim 7, wherein the first braiding plane is perpendicular to the second braiding plane.
 9. The method of manufacturing of claim 7, wherein the first braiding plane is offset 45 degrees from the second braiding plane.
 10. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the transition point is positioned between 2 to 6 inches from the first end of the article of footwear.
 11. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear utilizing an automated braiding machine having a braid ring assembly, the method comprising: positioning the braid ring assembly in a first configuration; braiding the article of footwear with the braid ring assembly in the first configuration; positioning the braiding ring assembly in a second configuration; braiding the article of footwear with the braid ring assembly in the second configuration.
 12. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein braiding the article of footwear with the braid ring assembly in the first configuration results in a first end of the article of footwear being braided in a first braiding plane, and wherein braiding the article of footwear with the braid ring assembly in the second configuration results in the second end of the article of footwear being braided in a second braiding plane.
 13. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein the article of footwear further comprises a transition section positioned between the first end and the second end.
 14. The method of manufacturing of claim 13, wherein the transition section further comprises a beginning transition point and an ending transition point, the beginning transition point defined at an end of the first braiding plane, and the ending transition point defined at an end of the second braiding plane.
 15. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein the second configuration is achieved through rotating the braid ring assembly between 45 and 90 degrees from the first configuration.
 16. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein the second configuration is achieved through rotating the braid ring assembly between 0 and 45 degrees from the first configuration.
 17. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein the first end of the article of footwear is a toe end.
 18. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein the first end of the article of footwear is a heel end.
 19. An article of footwear having a toe end and an heel opening, the article of footwear comprising: a first section at the toe end, braided with a plurality of yarns in a first direction; and a second section at the heel end, braided with the plurality of yarns in a second direction. a transition section positioned between the first section and the second section, wherein the transition section further comprises a beginning transition point proximate the first section and an ending transition point proximate the second section, wherein the plurality of yarns of the transition section linearly transitions from the first direction to the second direction.
 20. The article of footwear of claim 19, further comprising a transition section positioned between the first section and the second section, wherein the transition section further comprises a beginning transition point proximate the first section and an ending transition point proximate the second section, wherein the plurality of yarns of the transition section linearly transitions from the first direction to the second direction.
 21. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction. 